By Tim Young,The Courier Times
Security Laminate used on window panels
to protect from shattering

Mount Summit, Indiana - When people usually think of a business meeting they envision a cushy office or a luncheon.

But not ACE/Security Laminates™. Their idea of a business meeting involves baseball bats, 9 mm pistols, shotguns and Molotov cocktails.

ACE is an internationally known business that is stationed out of Ottawa, Ontario Canada.

Now ACE has a dealer out of Mount Summit.

But what do guns and explosives have to do with laminates?

The laminates that ACE produces are used on window panels to protect them from shattering in the event of a violent crime or vandalism.

"Everyone needs security protection," said Kelly Searson, corporate accounts manager for ACE. "It's not just good enough to have good alarms and good locks."

The window laminates can protect against the smash of a baseball bat all the way to a high-end explosive. The window film prevents shattering from both.

At a local demonstration of ACE's product at the Monroe Township Conservation Club, business owners, police and security personnel and possible future dealers from Chicago, Pittsburgh and San Diego gathered to see for themselves how the laminate worked.

All stood and watched as bullets and bombs were used against the laminate. The out come - not one shard of glass had left the plane (sic).

The laminate rolls over a glass surface like wallpaper, making installation quick and easy. Searson said not only will the laminate` protect against shattering but it is also a good insulator.

Searson said the first idea to design the laminate was to stop and deter breaking and entering crimes, or "smash and grab crimes."

Government agencies are looking in to using the laminate on their buildings. Israel and Egypt decided to use the laminate on some of their buildings after seeing one of ACE's demonstrations.

85 percent of all bomb injuries are caused by flying glass according to ACE. More than 500 people were injured by shards of glass in a 10 mile radius after the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City occurred.

There are four types of laminate, the 100 series, which protects against smash and grab theft, the 200 series, which is a little stronger than the 100 series and is used for homes and small businesses, the 300 series, which offers bullet and bomb resistance and the 400 series, which offers the greatest bullet and bomb resistance.

"People are skeptic, but you have to see it to believe it," said Eileen Bogdonas, security consultant for the Mount Summit office.

She said that Indianapolis is a nice sized city and that its international airport and federal buildings make it a target for terrorist attacks. The laminate can help protect people from such attacks.

Since 1991, ACE has been striving to make protection for home and businesses full-proof (sic).

Police have looked into using the laminate on police car windows.

2/3 of all home break-ins occur through the windows. Searson said ACE/Security Laminates™ can deter criminals from entering the home.

Sheets of laminate cost around $10-15 per square feet.

Anyone with questions or comments can contact Bogdonas at 765 836 4266.

"Why should the government be the only one to have this," said Bogdonas. "Alarm
systems are great but they're not the final answer.

"Let the alarm system notify the authorities, let our product be the deterrent."

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